Benny Westcott and Scott Swanson
On the strength of four place-winners, Sweet Home’s girls finished just short of a team championship in the inaugural 4A/3A/2A/1A state championships Friday, Sept. 24, losing 77-71 to La Pine. Baker/Powder Valley was fourth with 66, followed by La Grande with 46 points.
“We took five girls there,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “Quite honestly, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. This is the first time they’ve separated the divisions out like that.”
His wrestlers, though, knew what they were there for, he said.
“Those girls absolutely showed up to get some work done.”
Freshman Bailey Chafin, who came into the tournament with a 41-1 record, surprised no one by winning her first state title, dominating the 125-pound bracket with two falls and a 15-5 major decision over Estacada’s Kirsten DeLazerda in the semis. He pin in 1:17 over La Pine’s Jade Seymour in the final put Chafin on top of the podium.
Chafin, who has been wrestling for seven years, said that when showing up to practice every day this season, she kept in mind that she wanted to be the first person from Sweet Home to be a four-time state titlist.
“I’ve just kind of kept that in my mind, and I’ve worked so hard, practicing over the summer,” she said. “I was going to a club and I told the coach there that I was going to be a four-time state champ. I’ve kind of always wanted that, but when my sister (Paige Chafin) won her state title last year, that’s when I decided I wanted to be a four-timer.”
She said the key to being successful in the final was “not focusing on her, but focusing on myself. Doing my normal warm-up. Not doing anything fancy. Just getting in there and getting it done.”
“She’s a state champ as a freshman,” Thorpe said, noting that Chafin has had a lot of big-tournament experience already that paid off in this tournament. “She’s already done all that stuff.
“I’m pretty impressed with Bailey, with her poise, how she’s not overwhelmed with situation she’s in. He has a very exciting future in front of her.”
Placing second were senior Kendra Jamison at 105 pounds and sophomore Alyssa Peterson at 170 pounds.
Jamison, who placed fifth last year, lost by a fall in 4:41 to Siletz Valley’s Chelo Garcia, who came into the match undefeated. But she made the final with a gutsy 9-8 decision over La Grande’s Lyndie Isaacson.
“Kendra getting into the finals on a one-point match, I’m proud of her,” Thorpe said.
Peterson went the distance before falling at the 5:23 mark to Baker/Powder Valley’s Oakley Anderson in the final after pinning her first two opponents.
“Elissa Peterson makes it into finals and it came down to a match like that,” Thorpe said.
Senior Zoey Erevia finished fourth, losing her opener at 120 pounds to Delia Gulzow of La Grande by a fall, then meeting Gulzow again in the consolation final, where Erevia was pinned a second time, in 2:32.
“Zoey beat somebody that beat her at regionals,” Thorpe noted of the consolation semifinals victory Erevia scored over Kali Williams of Oakridge.
Junior Kaylene Zajic also had a tough day at 140 pounds, winning her first match, but losing the next two to miss the podium.
“Kaylene had hoped to place, but sometimes you end up in tough situation,” Thorpe said. “She lost a match in blood round. But she scored lot of points this year. I think this will motivate her for next year. Absolutely.”
He said he was pleased that the girls got to the podium.
“We should never had been as close to first as we were, but the girls just kind of overachieved,” Thorpe said. “We placed four of the five that entered.
“They’ve worked very hard this year. It’s a tough situation when you’re only qualifying out of two regions. It’s pretty darn tough to do.”
Thorpe and his assistants, Gracie Stutzman, Haley May and Justin Chafin, were named the women’s coaching staff of the year for the 4A/3A/2A/1A division.
“That’s a direct reflection of our program, the depth of our coaching staff,” he said. “It does speak volumes of kind of example that Gracie Stutzman has brought to these girls. Justin Chafin, the amount of time he has spent to ferry these girls around to events. Haley May, the example she’s been.”
See more photos in our online gallery.